Their hope lasted for less than a minute. A guttural, earth-shattering roar erupted from within the cryogenic fog. The dark purple lines on the fire elemental's body flashed with ominous light, and deep, glowing cracks spiderwebbed across the black shell of frozen lava. With a tremendous explosion, the shell shattered, blasting outward in a wave of superheated steam and volcanic glass. The magma that gushed forth was brighter, hotter, and more violent than before.
"How is that possible?" the first Harry breathed, his eyes wide with disbelief. "That was liquid nitrogen. It should have done something!"
Gwen shielded her eyes, squinting at the towering monster. "Something's wrong," she said, her scientific mind racing. "The thermal signature is impossible. Normal magma burns between 700 and 1300 degrees Celsius. The energy this thing is radiating is exponentially higher than that."
"She's right," the first Spider-Man agreed, his own suit's sensors likely screaming the same impossible data. "This is completely beyond the laws of nature."
The fire elemental ignored their analysis. It was a walking tower of stellar fire, and it continued its relentless march. As it moved slowly through the valley, the very air ahead of it seemed to ignite. The dense forest in its path didn't just catch fire; the trees exploded into ash, dehydrated and incinerated by an invisible wave of cosmic heat. The flames spread with supernatural speed, a wave of incineration that consumed the entire valley in moments, turning it into a roiling sea of fire.
Thick, black smoke billowed into the sky, and even from ten kilometers away, the heroes were hit by a scorching heat wave that made it difficult to breathe. The ground itself seemed to burn, and with every thunderous footstep, the creature crushed the burning earth, sending up bursts of molten sparks.
"It's Dormammu," Strange said, his voice grim. The dark purple stripes covering the elemental's body were now denser, pulsing with a malevolent, otherworldly light. "His parting gift was to pour more of his power into it."
He shook his head, a flicker of frustration in his eyes. "Without his dimensional interference, I would open a gate to the Marianas Trench and drop this thing into the abyss. But with the Dark Dimension's magic infusing it, it would simply boil the Pacific dry."
"That dimensional creep," the first Harry cursed, wiping a bead of sweat from his brow.
Sandman looked around at the burning forest, his own power severely limited without an ample source of sand. Even so, he had to try something. "I'll test its defenses," he declared.
Transforming into a whirlwind of sand, he shot toward the fire elemental. He closed to within a kilometer, and the oppressive heat became a physical blow. The earth elemental he had faced before was a child's toy compared to this titan.
He thrust out a hand, sending a stream of sand lashing toward the creature. But before it even made contact, he felt a sickening sensation—his sand was beginning to liquefy. The moment the stream struck the elemental's molten hide, he lost all control of it. He watched in horror as his own body was instantly transformed into searing, glassy slag.
He retreated instantly, a gut-wrenching decision that saved his life. The elemental opened its cavernous mouth and unleashed another torrent of magma, which missed him by inches, leaving a smoldering trail of obsidian in its wake. He felt the phantom touch of that heat, a chilling premonition of his own unmaking. He didn't dare get any closer.
Reforming beside the others, he was visibly shaken. "Its temperature is unreal. My sand turned to molten glass before it even touched it."
"Then how are we supposed to fight it?" everyone was thinking.
"I wonder," Banner said, his voice a low rumble, "if the Hulk could withstand it."
Just then, his comms chimed. "Tony! Are you here?" Banner asked, a hint of hope in his voice.
"Negative," Tony's voice crackled back. "ETA is sixteen minutes… make that fifteen and fifty-five seconds. What's the situation?"
"It's bad, Tony. We can't get close. The temperature is beyond anything natural. Sandman attempted recon; it was a non-starter."
"Understood. I've deployed Veronica. Hold your position," Tony commanded.
The call ended. For several minutes, Tony had been watching the catastrophe unfold on his HUD. Now, he watched as a complete orbital combat platform detached from the space-based defense system he and Banner had built, streaking through the atmosphere. This Hulkbuster, an innovation born from analyzing the footage on the mysterious screen, was more than just an add-on suit; it was a self-contained weapons platform.
Suddenly, a new alert blared in his ear. "Sir," JARVIS warned, "the Iron Legion units are experiencing critical overheating."
Tony switched his display. The dozen drones still harassing the fire elemental were glowing red on his thermal sensors. "Report."
"The ambient heat from the target has exceeded the operational limits of their temperature regulation systems, sir. Cooling reserves are depleted. Continuing engagement will result in total system failure."
Tony cursed. The regulation systems he'd designed after the Killian incident were meant to counter localized heat, not an omnidirectional, all-consuming temperature field.
"Withdraw them," he ordered. "What's the status of the Dark elf retrofits?"
"Thirty-seven percent of drone units have been upgraded, sir."
"Deploy them," Tony said, his voice cold as steel.